Living A Holy Life: Called To Be Holy

Living a Holy Life: Called to Be Holy - 1 Peter 1:15-16

Introduction

The call to holiness stands as one of the most compelling yet challenging invitations in all of Scripture. When the apostle Peter wrote to scattered believers facing persecution and cultural pressure, he did not offer them comfortable platitudes or easy compromises. Instead, he directed their attention to the very character of God Himself. The command "be holy, for I am holy" echoes across both Testaments, linking the ancient Israelites who stood at Sinai (Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:7) to the early church and to every believer today. This sermon examines three dimensions of holy living: our calling to holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16), our walk in the light (1 John 1:7), and our separation from spiritual compromise (2 Corinthians 6:17). Each dimension flows from our relationship with the living God who has claimed us as His own.

Understanding holiness requires us to see it not merely as a list of rules to follow but as a transformation into the likeness of the One who called us. The word "holy" in Scripture carries the fundamental meaning of being set apart, separated for God's exclusive use. When applied to God, holiness describes His absolute purity, His complete separation from anything defiled or unrighteous. When applied to believers, holiness describes both our position before God (1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Peter 1:2) and the practical outworking of that position in daily life. We have been made holy through the work of Christ (Hebrews 10:10), and now we are called to become in our daily conduct what we already are in our standing before God. Paul captured this dual reality when he wrote to the Ephesians that God "chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him" (Ephesians 1:4). Peter reinforces this connection between our calling and our conduct, reminding us that "as obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance" (1 Peter 1:14).

The Scriptures present holiness not as an optional pursuit for spiritual elites but as the expected lifestyle for all who belong to Christ. Paul writes to the Thessalonians, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Thessalonians 4:3), while the writer of Hebrews declares, "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). These passages establish that God's desire for His people transcends cultural boundaries and historical periods. From the giving of the Law at Sinai through the prophetic messages of Isaiah and Ezekiel, continuing through the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels (Matthew 5:48), and extending through the apostolic letters to the churches, the call to holiness remains consistent and clear.

1. Called to Be Holy - 1 Peter 1:15-16

Peter opens this passage with a significant phrase: "as obedient children" (1 Peter 1:14). This description characterizes the essential nature of true believers. Obedience distinguishes Christians from non-Christians, who are called "sons of disobedience" in Ephesians 2:2. The basic character of a believer centers on obedience to God, while the basic character of an unbeliever centers on disobedience. This does not mean believers never sin, but it does mean that disobedience breaks the normal pattern of their lives rather than defining it. Jesus Himself established this principle when He said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15), and again, "You are my friends if you do what I command you" (John 15:14). When believers sin, their redeemed spirits remain housed in fleshly bodies where sin still dwells (Romans 7:18-25). Yet even in this reality, Peter calls them to pursue holiness.

The call to holiness contains both negative and positive aspects. Negatively, believers must refuse to conform to the former lusts that characterized their pre-conversion lives. The word "conformed" means to be shaped by or fashioned after something. Paul uses similar language in Romans 12:2, warning believers, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind." These former lusts include sinful desires, evil longings, uncontrolled appetites, and all unrighteous motivations that compel the unregenerate. Peter describes these as lusts they had "in ignorance," referring to their pre-salvation state when they did not know better. This ignorance characterized both Gentiles who had never known the true God (Acts 17:30, Ephesians 4:17-18) and Jews who had missed the fulfillment of their own Scriptures (Romans 10:2-3). Regeneration creates new life that possesses both the desire and the power to live righteously (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:10).

Positively, believers are called to be holy in all their behavior, following the pattern of the Holy One who called them. Peter sets the standard at nothing less than the perfection of God Himself. Jesus declared the same standard in the Sermon on the Mount: "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). While believers remain unable to achieve sinlessness in this life (1 John 1:8), God's holiness stands as the goal toward which they must aim, equipped by the Word and the Spirit. The phrase "in all your behavior" emphasizes that holiness must permeate every aspect of life. No area remains exempt from this transformation. Paul writes to the Colossians, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17). The holiness of Christians must be manifested in a life visible to all, not through withdrawal into isolated religious communities (1 Peter 2:12).